


Savage Aftermath

by RT_Pilon



Category: AU of a Pack Street AU, Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Expanded Details, Feels?, Flashbacks, Gen, Green Text Theatre, Humour?, Killing, Suicide, minor gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 18:18:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9778691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RT_Pilon/pseuds/RT_Pilon
Summary: Animals are going savage again in Zootopia, and something terrible has happened in Pack Street.Nick and Judy go to investigate, again.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Savages](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/265193) by The Weaver. 
  * Inspired by [Pack Street: Drastic Measures](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9601934) by [MisterEAnon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterEAnon/pseuds/MisterEAnon). 
  * Inspired by [Pack Street: Live Once, Die Twice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9602462) by [MisterEAnon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MisterEAnon/pseuds/MisterEAnon). 
  * Inspired by [Pack Street: When You Close Your Eyes](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9614534) by [EyeOfTheTempest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EyeOfTheTempest/pseuds/EyeOfTheTempest). 
  * Inspired by [Pack Street: Laying Down The Law](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8186273) by [MoochyMunchkin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoochyMunchkin/pseuds/MoochyMunchkin). 



> Finally I've managed to find time to come back and seriously re-edit this work into a form that is hopefully more readable.  
> The original was terrible.  
> I proved this to myself by volunteering to read the original work on a live stream, and even I had trouble.  
> Not just from the nervousness and the emotional turmoil that re-reading this fic brought out, but also the fact that it was just a wall of text before.  
> I hope the story makes enough sense as a stand alone fiction, but would highly suggest reading the attached works, if only to enjoy them for their own sake.  
> I hope the referenced authors don't mind me adding into the AU's they have created.
> 
> Enjoy.

"Hopps, Wilde," called Bogo, looking down at his two remaining officers as the others filed out of the room.  
"That savage killing over on Pack Street the other week, it would seem the fox responsible has committed suicide, so if you two could go back over there and just see what needs to be sorted out, next of kin, counselling for other residents, that sort of thing, then annex it to your previous reports."  
The Cape Buffalo leaned forward handing the folder to Nick.  
The fox and Rabbit looked at one another, then Judy turned back to Chief Bogo, "I don't think the fox had any next of kin sir, and we're still piecing together the Stoat's background. I think only residents from the building went to his funeral."  
"Well, ask around a bit, see what you can find, see if we can tidy this all up, dismissed."  
Nick threw Bogo a two finger salute while making a 'tsktsk' sound between his teeth, as Judy said, "Yes Sir," as she climbed down off their chair.

The two walked quietly out to the squad car, Judy finally breaking the silence,  
"why does this all sound like night howlers again?, I mean, the last few cases have all responded to the nighthowler antidote, but none showed any sign of pellet attack."  
Nick got in, closed his door, and looked at Judy, "you sure you want to go out there again?, I know it was hard last time."  
Judy looked at him with quivering eyes, not sure what to say.  
"I'm sure I could convince Bogo to let you stay here and sort out paperwork, or…"  
"No Nick, I can do this, I have to be able to do this," she said clicking her seat belt and turning the key.

The engine revved a little more than normal, Nick looked across, "easy there Carrots, relax, take a deep breath, c'mon, in and, out…"  
Judy looked across at him, her brow creasing in annoyance.  
"There we go, that's the face I, um, OK well maybe not that face, but yeah, just wanted to make sure you were concentrating, right partner?" Nick held his fist towards her, and her frown dropped as she 'bumped' him back.  
"Thanks Nick."  
The morning traffic out of Savannah Central wasn't too bad as they headed West towards Pack Street.  
Nick fingered through the case file as they went, reading it to Judy.  
"Fox, Corsac, female, Charlene foxtrot, age 28, no tax number?, well, she beat me on that one!" exclaimed Nick.  
"So you weren't the best hustler out there eh slick?" jibed Judy.  
The fox looked back at the Rabbit with a hurt expression, "How dare you," he said, raising an eyebrow.  
"Well, she may have hustled, but her rap sheet's nearly twice the size of mine."  
"So maybe she hustled better than you then?" grinned the Rabbit again.  
"No," replied Nick, "it meant she got caught more than I did," Judy returned to her sombre look as they drove on.  
"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," she finished.

They rounded a corner onto Pack Street and drove toward the building, Nick noticed a black wolf turn and enter the front door.  
"Lookout's gone in," he said, "although I guess they are expecting us."  
Judy parked the car just short of the building, next to an alleyway full of graffiti, a dumpster sitting near the curb in front of the building.  
The two officers climbed down out of the vehicle and headed towards the building's front door.  
Climbing the stoop, where they were met by a large white Tundra wolf who stepped through the front door, and stood on the top step.  
"Hey there again," started Nick, madly trying to remember Al's surname from the report, "it's Mister…" he trailed off.  
"Just Al will do," grumbled the wolf.  
"Yeah, sure, ah Al," stumbled Nick, "so, Al, could we come in and just check a few things, you know how it is…"  
The wolf looked out over the officers, sniffing the air, arms crossed in front of him.  
Judy's face was starting to scowl as she looked from the wolf to Nick, and was about to say something.  
Nick saw the look and, giving a quick shake of his head, mouthed the word 'no'.  
Presently the wolf looked down at them, "all right, let's get this over with," grumbling as he turned back and entering the building.

Nick and Judy followed through the front door into the dimly lit common area.  
A television sat playing some morning drama to no one in particular. The black wolf Nick had seen earlier stood leaning against the doorway to a kitchen area, only visible as an outline.  
Al padded quietly over and slumped into the dilapidated couch that faced the TV.  
Judy had pulled out her notepad and looked toward the wolf about say something when Nick quietly grasped her shoulder, "So Al, can I call you Al?" Nick started,  
"Yep," said the wolf.  
Nick continued, "so, could my associate here begin her investigation of the," Nick hesitated for a split second, trying deciding whether to use the word victim's or subject's, then just going with, "ah, room in question?"  
One of Al's eyebrows lifted imperceptibly, "I guess she's on duty this time?"  
Judy blushed a little as Nick held a straight face.  
Al looked across at Betty. Betty looked from Judy back to Al with an annoyed look.  
Al simply said, "Go." Betty shrugged, and padded her way towards the stairs, Judy following, her ears down.  
"So, Al," Nick began, "we didn't do an interview with you at the time of," he glanced down at the file, "Marty's incident?, you were at work apparently?"  
"Yep," responded Al.  
Nick could see no further comment was forthcoming so continued, "So, when was the last time you saw the deceased?" asked Nick.

Al gave a mild glare that Nick couldn't quite interpret as quizzical or annoyed, but hoped was quizzical.  
"I mean the Stoat, Marty," Nick continued, "I should get some details about him from you, just for the paperwork, then I'll get onto Ms foxtrot."  
Nick could feel a bead of sweat threatening to run down the back of his neck.  
Al took a deeper breath and looked up in the direction of Marty's room, then returned his gaze to the fox.  
Nick thought he saw the faint sign of a tear welling in the white wolf's eye, but then the wolf looked down at the floor, breathing out with a sigh.  
"I saw both of them at around five thirty that day," began Al, his voice less abrupt, and softer now,  
"Marty came running down and told me that Charlie had been contemplating suicide. He wanted to know If I could Get V, ah, Velvet, to talk to her."  
Nick looked down at the folder, "that would be Miss Velvet Row?" he confirmed, reading further he continued, "she's a Counsellor appointed to an 'Ozzy'?" he quizzed.  
"Odd," Nick said, "I don't seem to have a last name for, it's a he is it?" he asked.

The wolf took a controlled breath in through his nose, looking back up to Nick, "I can't remember Ozzy's last name,"  
Nick stood there, pen poised above the notepad. The two looked at one another for another second, the bead of sweat working it's way down Nicks back, pen still poised.  
"Ozzy's just, Ozzy I guess," continued Al.  
"He was housed here on some rehabilitation program that covers his rent so, he comes and goes, and V, um I mean Miss Roe comes to talk with him once a week."  
Al leaned back in the lounge and closed his eyes, seemingly thinking about something.  
Nick waited a few move moments, then pressed, "So, Marty?"  
The white wolf looked back at the fox, "I went upstairs with Marty to talk to Charlie, but when we got there, she was laying on the bed asleep. Marty panicked, but she was snoring, and I needed to go to work, so I left him there with her, so yeah, that was the last time I saw Marty."  
Al sniffed freely this time, wiping his huge paw across his eyes.  
"I had to go to work," he repeated staring into space, "I had to start at six," he sighed.  
"And that was PM I take it?" asked Nick, scribbling in the notepad.

Nick paused for a minute, then,"And when did you find out what had then happened?"  
Al looked about the room uncomfortably before finally fixing his gaze back on the fox in front of him.  
"They don't like me using a phone at work, and we had a big concrete pour on. I was carry…," Al paused and corrected, "helping with the pour, so I couldn't stop," Al momentarily glanced at the TV, then continued, "Betty came around at just after midnight and told me what had happened."  
"I had to clean the mixer before I could do anything, so I didn't get back till nearly two, ah yeah, AM."  
Al contemplated the folder Nick was holding, then continued, "by the time I got back, they were taking the bodies away."  
"Bodies?" Nick questioned, cocking his head slightly.  
"Well, you know, the two of them," picked up Al, "Charlie was strapped down to a stretcher, darted unconscious, and," his voice started to hitch a little, "and what was left of Marty was carried out in a bag," The wolf put his muzzle down on his chest, with a paw over his eyes, and sobbed.  
__________________________________________________________

Red and yellow tape crossed the doorframe as Betty and Judy stood in front of what was Marty and Charlie's apartment.  
\\\\\ ZCM BIOHAZARD DO NOT ENTER \\\\\ was repeated along the tape.  
Judy looked closer at the tape, 'Zootopia Central Morgue' and a phone number was printed along the edge of the tape.  
Judy looked back at Betty, "Was this put here by the ambulance crew?"  
"Yep," said the dark figure standing in the dim hallway.  
"So no one else has been out here, to look at the room?" quizzed Judy.  
"Nope," responded Betty, "Just the morgue guys last night, and you two this morning,"  
Betty pulled out her keys, "Do you want me to open it?" she said, thumbing through them in the dark.  
"Well, not just yet," replied Judy, "I need to find out why they put up biohazard tape?" as she reached for her phone.  
"Oh that," began Betty, "the morgue guys said they would normally put up the 'Police Investigation' tape, but they had run out, this was all they had left," she said.  
Judy looked from Betty to the tape and back to her phone, cancelling the number she had started to dial, scrolling through her phone, she found another number.  
Eventually the phone answered, "Good morning, Officer Judy Hopps, ZPD…Yes, we're out at a savage killing site on Pack Street back on the tenth…yes…and then the suicide here last night…well yes, she was…well, I was wondering about the scan?…oh…actually, they put up biohazard tape…hah, yeah, I guess…his photo's?, only a couple…well, OK, I guess we can do it…yeah…OK, well thanks anyway, yes, bye,"  
She pocketed her phone and looked despondently at Betty,  
"Looks like it got bumped for some reason the other week, and then they had a big case last night and couldn't get over."  
"Yeah, I guess it was only a Predator suicide," commented Betty. 

Judy's eyebrows furrowed as she was about to rebuke Betty, but then she changed her tack.  
"She seemed like a nice MAMMAL," stated Judy, adding emphasis to the word, "OK, yes, I did try to arrest her that one time, but once that was sorted, she seemed like a nice girl."  
Betty's sneer turned to a bit of a giggle as she remembered the first encounter between 'off duty' Judy Hopps, Charlie and the rest of the pack, but then she became sombre again.  
"She seamed like a lost child," Betty mumbled, "streetwise, but lonely, I thought she was starting to settle down being with us, but I guess the Dora incident unhinged her."  
"Dora?" quizzed Judy.  
"Pandora," reminded Betty, "the tigress that owns the sex shop," pausing to let the memory sink in, "she went savage the day before Marty got killed," she stated.

"Oh Frith, it was her?" gasped Judy, blushing at the remembrance of their first meeting, "I was off duty when that happened," as she turned back to the door, "I mean when the tigress went savage."  
An awkward moment ensued until Judy turned back to the door, carefully peeled the tape from the door frame.  
Betty cocked her head as she watched, Judy noticed the expression,  
"Don't want to damage the paintwork do we?" she said.  
"In this place?" quipped Betty, she moved forward and inserted a key.  
As the door creaked open, a sickly sweet small assaulted Judy's nose.  
__________________________________________________________

Nick stood quietly for a while, then put the folder he had been resting his notepad in, onto the table, and moved to sit at the opposite end of the couch.  
"Listen Al, I'm real sorry for your loss…" he tapered off as Al looked back at him with a confused expression, and it became one of those 'awkward' moments.  
Nick tried to restart the conversation, "So were you and Marty, close?" The awkwardness seemed to intensify. "I mean, not like, um…"  
Al broke in,"c'mon fox," he grumbled, "you're a pred, you should get all this?"  
As he regained his composure, he continued, "Marty, like all of us here, was part of the Pack, My Pack, I'm the Alpha, and I'm supposed to have a responsibility to the Pack, and…" He trailed off, his gruff mask starting to crumble.  
After some deep breaths, Al calmed and continued, "Yeah, he was a good friend, helpful, clever, a pain in the ass sometime, and a little odd other times," he trailed off.  
It was Nicks turn to cock his head, "odd?" he asked.

Al looked back at Nick, "Didn't you see the female clothing up there in his room, when you first came?"  
Nick thought for a second, "Well, yeah, I initially thought they were her's, Charlie's, though it did looked a little small for her," he paused,  
"Did she know a smaller mammal, like a Fennec fox maybe?," asked Nick with a 'knowing' look.  
"What?, no, no the clothes were his!, he was into cross dressing!"  
Nick's jaw hung open as a new level of red momentarily spread through his complexion.  
"Oh," he said quietly. Another awkward silence ensued before Nick scribbled in his pad.  
"OK," started Nick again, "so what about Miss foxtrot, when did you last see her?" Al took another deep breath, "I picked her up from the hospital yesterday afternoon, about one thirty, drove her back here."  
"I wanted her to sit here in the lounge and wait for V to turn up, but then she said she wanted to go up to the room and freshen up a bit first. I was on the phone to V, so she just walked off up the stairs. The next time I saw her was about a half hour later when I went upstairs to bring her down to V."

"I'd forgotten about the crime scene tapes, and charlie had just wadded them up and thrown them in a corner. When I entered the room, she was laying on the bed again only this time she wasn't snoring, she wasn't breathing at all. I felt for a pulse, but she was already starting to feel cold."  
Al's voice hitched a little again as he continued, "I just stepped back out, closed the door, and rang the police."  
Al took another breath and let it out, staring at the floor, "I shouldn't have let her out of my sight, I…"  
Nick cut in, "Hey Al, you can't be everywhere."  
Al paused then, "I'm just glad Velvet never saw the room," Nick flinched as he remembered looking through the room after the subdued fox, and the body of the Stoat had been removed, nothing was left undamaged, just blood and destruction everywhere.  
"Yeah, wouldn't want to see that again," quipped Nick. This time Al cocked his head and looked at Nick.  
Nick started to get a confused, but bad feeling...  
__________________________________________________________

Betty reached in and threw the light switch, nothing happened, she looked up to see just a pair of wires hanging from the roof.  
"Oh right," she said, looking across at the remains of the ceiling fan/light combination mangled through what used to be one of the numerous book shelves in the room, brown stains still on one of the fan blades. Judy was having trouble taking in the scene as she followed the black wolf's gaze, and saw the blood stained fan blades. She swallowed and took a hesitant step into the room, the smell starting to overpower her.  
It was actually hard to find patches of bare floor to step on with so many books strewn around the room, almost forming a complete layer. Judy gestured to the room in general and said, "and all this…?"  
Betty replied, "Pretty much unchanged from when I found it the first time. No one seemed to know what to do after she killed him and they were taken away, so we just closed the door."  
"And you were the one that found them, miss…?" started Judy.  
"Betty, just Betty," she answered continuing,  
"Al had mentioned to me that Marty was having some problem with Charlie, which was not all that unusual, and that he hoped that Miss Velvet Roe, a Counsellor dealing with another of our residents, was going to be able to come over and talk with them. Then he went to work. A bit later I was down in the basement laundry when Anneke came running down screaming her head off, saying Charlie was trying to kill Marty."  
Betty and Judy stepped a bit further into the room. 

Betty continued, "I could hear all the noise once I was out of the laundry. I ran up the stairs and went into the room, but he was already dead," she stared blankly into the room as deep in thought.  
"And you were sure he was…" Judy's voice squeaked a bit, "…that he was deceased?"  
Betty refocused and looked back at the Rabbit.  
"Oh, he was, deceased all right," Betty grimaced at the memory,  
"Most of him, was in the bathroom basin, there was a foot over there near that wall," she pointed to a brown splotch on a far wall.  
Judy eyes followed the wolf's claw point, and saw the mark, her ears going completely flaccid, the colour draining from her nose.  
"And his head was in the shower recess," said Betty, stepping back to give Judy a direct view into the bathroom.  
The scene was basically wall to wall brown from dried blood, splatter marks across the ceiling, shreds of what was left of the shower curtain spread all over and doors ripped off the vanity unit. 

Judy's eyes went wide as she grabbed her mouth, getting as far as "Oh, Sweet che…" before gagging and running out the door.  
She fell on the floor out in the hallway convulsing.  
Rabbits can't normally throw up, but her stomach was going to have a damn good try.  
Betty followed and yelled down the hallway, "Hey FOX!"  
The wolf kneeled down to figure out what to do with Judy. Nick was up the stairs in mere seconds, "JUDY!" he yelled, skidding onto his knees beside her.  
"C'mon Judy, breathe Judy, breathe," he held her ears back while holding her under the shoulders, saliva dribbling from her mouth, her eyes bulging. With a final convulsion, Judy began breathing more steadily.  
"You right there Carrots?" asked Nick, Betty giving him an odd look.  
Judy closed her eyes, leaning further forward and resting her forehead on the floor.  
"Oh Frith, oh Frith, oh Frith," she gasped between breaths.  
Nick looked over her shoulder into the room, and saw the mess he had seen previously. "Oh Judy, I'm sorry, I thought it would have been cleaned up after forensics had finished."  
Gaining some composure, Judy croaked, "Forensics never came Nick, we're it,"

An Aardwolf head, which had poked out of a door down the hallway, was now pushed fully out into the hall as a second aardwolf pushed past with a glass of water,  
"Will this help?" asked Anneke, as she moved sideways with her back to the door opening, not wanting to look inside again.  
"Thanks sweetheart," said Nick, taking the glass, "c'mon Judy, have a drink."  
Judy rolled towards Nick and sat on the floor, realising she was facing the open door, she quickly looked left at Nick.  
"I'm sorry Nick." She looked up at the others standing around her, "Sorry folks, that shouldn't have happened, I should have been ready for this."

She looked down, almost ready to cry as Nick handed her a red handkerchief from his pocket.  
Judy wiped the tears from her eyes and moisture from her mouth and twitching nose.  
Nick handed her the glass, which she eagerly drank.  
"Careful there Carrots, we don't want it coming back!" Nick noticed Anneke and Betty take a step back as Wolter padded up from behind.  
"No, I'm good Nick," and turning, "thanks um, Anny wasn't it?"  
"Anneke," she corrected, "You spoke to me and my brother last time, downstairs."  
Judy reached and held Anneke's paw, "yeah, it got me this time," said Judy.  
The two looked at one another with nervous smiles, Anneke remembering the horror scene she had witnessed when she opened the door to stop the fight.  
Judy remembering the state of shock Anneke was in when she recounted that glimpse through the door, of Charlie holding a limp and bloody Marty in her mouth, snarling and staring at her with huge electric blue eyes, before Anneke slammed the door and ran to find someone.

Nick looked up at Betty, "Thanks for calling me Betty. So, how's the arm?"  
It was then Judy noticed the edge of a bandage just showing under Betty's T shirt sleeve, she looked at Nick, then back to Betty.  
"Stitches can come out in a few days," replied Betty.  
Judy looked back to Nick, as he looked back down to her,  
"Didn't you read my report?" asked Nick.  
Judy's face blushed a little, "when I got to the room description, I must have glazed over all your fine, gruesome detail," Judy turned back to Betty.  
Betty began recounting her description to Nick the week before, "well, when we got up here, I could hear crashing going on in the room, although I had just assumed that Anneke was exaggerating, so just went in and…"  
Nick butted in, "I think we've got the idea from my first interview thanks." 

Judy started to stand up, steadying herself against Nick and said, "no, let her finish Nick, I need to hear her account as well, besides it's probably not as gory as your report!" Nick looked from Judy to Betty, "Well I dunno…?"  
Betty looked at Judy, "Well it's nothing much Miss…?"  
"Hopps," said Judy.  
The Timber wolf looked up and down the Rabbit once and muttered, "of course," before continuing, "well, I went in, she saw me and came at me, I hit her across the face and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, but she was covered in blood and slipped out of my paws."  
"She turned and latched onto my arm as I tried to catch her, then I grabbed her in a jaw hold, to get her off my arm, and managed to roll her up in a woollen quilt she had," recounted Betty, "then I just sat on her till the Police and Ambulance turned up."

Looking at Anneke, Judy asked, "and you made the call in?"  
Wolter put his hand up behind Anneke, "actually, that was me."  
Judy looked between the two of them, "sorry Wolter, looks like I'm having one of those days…"  
"That's OK," said Wolter, "people often get us confused."

Al had been standing at the back but now stepped up to the little group, "so what now, when can we clean the place up?"  
"Sorry, not yet," said Nick, "Officer Hopps and I will need to go over the room as it is for a while, but if we don't find anything odd, then you can have the room after we leave."  
Nick turned to Judy, "are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, "you could re-interview someone, case the building, maybe go out and get us some coffees?" he suggested.  
"Har har slick," Judy retorted, "want to turn me into your secretary or something eh?" she said standing and brushing herself down.  
"I wouldn't mind a case of 'or something'," mumbled Nick behind her. Her ears flicked, but she said, "After you slick."

The two re-entered the room proper.  
"So Carrots, doesn't look like anything has changed from when I looked last time, and the report said she was on her bed, so I guess we start there."  
The bed was just a mattress with a ripped sheet on it and Nick knew from his previous interview, that Betty had used a wool filled quilt to basically swaddle the fox after she had caught her.  
They stood at the foot of the bed, staring at it.  
Nick pulled out his phone and started flicking through images he had taken the first time around.  
"Oh Carrots, if you're ever tempted to troll through my phone, well, be warned, this…" Nick grinned at Judy while gesturing to the room in general.  
Judy just replied, "it's a good thing I only look at your texts and search history," as she stared at what had once been a wooden chair.  
Nicks grin disappeared and he returned to flipping through the phone's photo album while moving to different places in the room as he did.  
He looked back to Judy and the bed.

"OK, she picked up the pillow from over here, and put it back on the bed," He continued to retrace his first survey of the apartment, heading towards the bathroom.  
Judy felt a little lost, not having that level of resource.  
She continued to look around the bedroom, noticing a towel draped over an upright chair. "Any towel rails still on the wall in there Nick?"  
He stepped into the bathroom fully,  
"Nope, and hey, what d'yah know?, we've got a note stuck to the mirror in here."  
Judy's ears perked up, as she made her way towards the bathroom, stepping around broken furniture and books.  
"She was either struggling with what she was planning, or had a lot of self loathing," he called as Judy stopped at the doorway, trying not to look down.  
"I think that's fairly typical," Judy agreed. 

"Yeah, and yet, somehow, with everything that happened in this room, the wall mirror didn't get broken!" exclaimed Nick, holding his phone towards Judy. Nick had photographed where the towel rails had been ripped from the wall, but a good portion of the mirror could be seen in the corner of shot, showing the mirror to be intact.  
Judy looked across at the crumpled piece of paper stuck to the mirror, and could see the single impact point and star shaped shattering of the glass, at about Nick's shoulder height, or about the height of Charlie's forehead. The note had been stuck to the mirror by a dab of what was probably 'Pawpad' cream.  
Nick slowly peeled it off while looking around the room. He spotted an upturned wicker box, which he turned over with one foot, a tumble of presumedly dirty clothes within. He grabbed a small cotton shirt from the pile, and used it to wipe the back of the note.  
Pulling out his reading glasses, he studied it, then read aloud;

'To my friends and for Marty, forgive me for what I did, and what I do now, but I can no longer place you or those near me at risk. Don't mourn me, I am not a loss, I will not be missed.  
CF'

Nick sighed and looked at Judy, and saw she had both paws to her mouth, as tears welled in her eyes.  
He turned towards her, "alright, get in here," said Nick, stepping towards her. Judy dived her head into his chest, sobbing openly.  
"That poor fox," she managed through wracking breaths, "why?"  
Nick wrapped his arms around her and sniffed a few times himself.  
Presently Nick ushered Judy and himself out of the bathroom where they seemed to gravitate back towards the bed.  
Judy stood still in front of the bed, trying to grasp the concept that not only had someone died on that bed, but they had actively taken their own life.  
Oddly, she shook the horror by thinking of death back home.  
___________________________________________________________

Death was nothing new to Judy, with so many living in the burrows, death was, well, a fact of life.  
Judy had seen death from accidents, from illness, and the odd ones from shock, but mostly from old age.  
That was the way of life.  
It was said that the older rabbits could sense when their time had come, some even saying they had seen the Black Rabbit, which tended to annoy those rabbits that were black, and would prepare in various ways.  
Most would stumble around to say goodbye to relevant family members at the dinner table, not having any dinner themselves, and then just go to bed, typically not waking up in the morning.  
One odd tradition that had started in some burrows many years back, was known as the Dying Tree.  
While there were trees all through the burrows, each Big House usually had one old tree with a low fence around it.  
When someone thought their time had come, often if they had woken up the next morning, they would announce at breakfast, sometimes lunch, that they were simply "going to the tree today," and take a seat farthest from the door, usually called the 'Tree Chair', and wait while the bunnies would finish their meals.  
As they finished and filed past the wash area with their utensils, instead of heading off to their various tasks, they would file out the rear door and begin to form two lines either side of the path to the tree.  
When ready, the old rabbit would make their way out, and up the path, the lined up rabbits quietly clapping or gently touching paws with the older rabbit as they passed.  
It was taught to be an honour, to be one of any six rabbits that would carry the subject to the tree, should they stumble or collapse on their way.  
That evening, someone would go and check on the dying rabbits condition, and when required, tell the crematorium workers.  
While still a death, the serenity of it almost seemed calming to Judy as she refocussed on the horror around her.  
___________________________________________________________

Nick was scrolling through his phone continuing his narrative, "so that glass on the floor near the bed wasn't there before, the pillow wasn't on the bed, and that towel you were looking at wasn't on that chair which," he flipped back a few photos to the kitchen, "which was lying on the floor over there before."  
"I tell yah Judy, this makes things much easier," he said waving his phone toward her.  
Judy thought for a second and began, "so, she comes in here, cleans herself up, but there's nowhere to put the towel. Grabs the chair from the kitchen and places it near the bed.  
She gets a glass, of water?, doesn't drink it in the kitchen, but brings it back…oh," Judy leans her head against Nick again. Nick continues, "Yeah, brings it back to the bed to wash down the pills."  
Judy sniffs in his chest while Nick, having pocketed the phone, was massages the back of her neck.  
Nick still has the note in his other paw and looks at it again, the paper is full of crease marks, but free of any blood spatter. He cranes his neck over and looks back into the bathroom and sees just a few spatter marks on the mirror.  
Nick looks back at the note, "what size paper do you think this is Judy?" 

Judy pulls her head back, wipes her eyes with the back of her paw, and focuses on the note.  
"Looks like normal A5 pad Nick," finally letting go of Nick and straightening herself up.  
"See I thought that too," Nick started, "but something is wrong, and then I realised, you don't normally bind paper along the long side of a pad, this is half a piece of A4."  
Judy looked at him waiting for the next bit, "And?"  
Nick stepped back to look around, he looked at the bench top in the kitchen, a broken china fruit bowl, a rotting apple and a couple of pens.  
He stepped around the bench and sees more pens, another apple, a squashed banana amid bloody pawprints, and a note pad laying partially on a small pool of dried blood.  
"Ah huh!' he exclaimed, picking up the pad.  
Flipping through the pages, he noticed that all pages were blank, and all complete pages.

Looking below the bench, he could see one cupboard door had been ripped from it's hinges revealing plates and bowls inside, many broken. He tried the next door, glasses and coffee mugs. The third door he opened pulled out a small trash can on a sliding rail, flies buzzing away from some fruit skins within. Nick peered in, next to an empty soup can, was a scrunched up piece of paper. "Bingo," he said.  
Picking out a wad of paper Nick unravelled it and read some writing on it, his ears drooped momentarily before forcing a smile, folding it in half and slipping it in his pocket. 

Judy looked at him with questioning eyes, "And…?" she said, with paws upturned.  
"Shopping list," said Nick, "yep, just a shopping list, nothing to see here."  
"Wilde, if you're withholding evidence…" She stepped towards him.  
"Come on Judy, think what just happened here," he said, looking her square in the eye, almost with an angry expression.  
"It's a note isn't it?" she asked sternly.  
Nick continued to stare at her, but finally looked down and sighed.  
"Yes, it's her first note, please don't ask to read it, not here anyway, trust me on this Judy,"  
Her emotions had pretty much run their course for the day, she just couldn't maintain her annoyance with him anymore, and fell back into a feeling of just being drained.  
She reached for his paw and pulled it to the side of her face, closing her eyes.  
Nick's fingers instinctively began massaging the base of her ears. Presently she mumbled into his paw, "Lets just get this done Nick, I have to get away from this smell."

Nick ran back through what they had been doing, "so, cleaned up over there, towel over here, chair near the bed, pillow from over there, glass of water to here and pills…" They stepped apart and moved to each side of the bed. Nick looks at a broken bedside lamp and digital clock laying on the floor next to a small wooden box, that had collapsed.  
Judy looks at a sturdy little bedside cabinet with nothing on it.  
On the floor next to it, a blister pack of three lollipops, with only one remaining, an eye-mask and a cotton wool ball.  
Judy then spots a plastic shopping bag that has fallen down between the mattress and a bedside table, spilling some of the contents.  
She pulled out the bag and items from the floor.  
"This looks like what we want Nick," as she carefully spread the items on the bed.

Judy arranged the items while Nick took another photograph.  
"So, purse, wrapped lollipop, Zootopia Central Hospital wrist band for one C.foxtrot, two bottles of pills, a second plastic bag with," she paused to look inside, "looks like change of underwear."  
Moving along she said, "a receipt from ZCH Pharmacy, a sealed bag of candied crickets, ugh."  
"Oh, they're delicious," said Nick, "you should try some!" Judy threw the bag of underwear at him.  
"For me?, why thank you, a little kinky, but I could get into it!"  
Judy gave him a confused look, then suddenly blushed, "You're disgusting!"  
Nick just grinned. 

Looking at the items on the bed, Judy picked up the first bottle, reading the label aloud.  
"MidniHolisano, 2mg, twice a day until finished, C.foxtrot, ZCH Pharmacy, Dr A.Dillo."  
She thought for a moment, "this is the post treatment drug for nighthowler cure."  
Judy shook the bottle which didn't rattle much, "feels pretty full,"  
She removed the cap, and the plastic seal within was still in place.  
"Well, she never took any of these," Judy picked up the second bottle, it was light and felt empty.  
"Agh," She almost dropped the bottle realising what it possibly was.

She stood for a second and took a deep breath. Letting it out, she lifted up the bottle, and started reading again.  
"Foxapro, 1mg, 1per day with first meal, C.foxtrot, PredPharm pharmacy, Dr Vulp, and there's a couple of extra stickers, 'Medication will cause wakefulness, do not take before attempting to sleep', and 'Second Repeat', hmm."  
Judy unscrewed the cap and looked in. Empty.  
A thought occurred to her and she looked around on the floor, there, a misshaped cotton ball which Judy picked up, and as she did so, a pill fell to the floor.  
Picking the pill up, she examined it, a very faint lilac colour with two interlocking 'P's on one side. She put the pill back in the bottle and stuffed the cottonball in after it. 

Standing with her eyes closed for a moment, Judy paused again, looking for her inner strength.  
Presently she began, "what else have we got?" a few assorted receipts," straightening them out, she continued reading, "let's see, ZCH Pharmacy, two items, MidniHolisano 2mg, Fexaprene 1.5mg, Predinsure discount number."  
Judy stopped and picked up the second tablet bottle.  
"You know much about ZCH Pharmacy Nick?" Nick had stood the lamp and clock back on the box,  
"In what way?" he asked.  
"Well, would the Central Hospitals pharmacy deal in generic drugs?" she asked.  
"Seems unlikely," he responded, "the government heavily subsidises most medical stuff. You know, 'A Healthy Zootopia is a Taxable Zootopia'."  
"Oh har, har, that's not how it goes, and you know it," rebuked Judy.  
"May not be what they say, but that's what they mean," He shrugged back at Judy, "Just saying." 

Judy looked at the bottle and receipt again, "If you got first grade meds and swapped them for generics, could make much selling them?" she asked.  
"Like I said, with all the subsidies, there wouldn't be any margin in it, why, what have you found?" he asks.  
Judy showed Nick the two bottles and the receipt, he took the generic bottle and studied at it.  
"This bottle is not related to the receipt, in fact, the purchase date on this is two days before she went to hospital. Maybe there's another bottle here somewhere, or she lost a new bottle of pills."  
"So Nick, any idea what Foxapro or Fexaprene is?"  
Nick mused his jawline, "I've heard of Foxapro, it's a canid antidepressant, I guess Fexaprene is something similar?"

Judy got down on all fours and looked under the head of the bed; dust, old pair of foot pads, a magazine and something metallic. She fished all the items out to look at, the metallic object turning out to be a crow-bar.  
"Woah," said Nick. "obviously didn't want anybody sneaking into bed with her or something?"  
Judy just rolled her eyes, "well, no pill bottles under there, so we're going to have to search through the place and see if they're here," said the rabbit thinking where to start.  
"Or," said Nick, pulling his phone back out, "just a hunch but," he stepped to the doorway and picked up the tape, dialling the number along the edge. 

"Yeah, Hi, Central Morgue? Officer Nick Wilde, ZPD, yes…Yeah, hey listen, you guys took in a small female fox last night, OD'ed, yeah, out at Pack Street…yeah, sad…I know…say, was she clothed when you got her?…OK, find much on her?…in her pocket, yeah?, and empty, let me guess, Fexaprene? antidepressant…yeah I know, so heart attack?, yep thought as much, yeah we just found the receipt for it here, A. Dillo?, yeah that's the one, hey you guys just saved us a few hours work, thank you, OK Bye."  
Nick pocketed his phone, grinning at Judy. 

"Way to go super detective!" applauded Judy, "OK, so what don't we know?"  
"Well," said Nick, "we still don't know why she went savage!"  
"Or the other odd dozen around town," added Judy, "there's something about this," worried Judy, "there's too many to be random, in fact so many that I don't even think it could be hits like Dawn was organising, someone would have seen a shooter by now with the number of attacks we've had. 

Nick opened his folder and thumbed through the pages, "see, there's the thing, we're looking at this about her going savage, and killing her room mate, but initially, he was down there with Al, talking about her threatening to commit suicide. Usual thing is to take an overdose of something, and just die. Instead she goes savage.  
What was she going to do, pretend to go savage and hope he kills her in self defence?"  
"Not funny Nick," Judy said, sitting on the edge of the bed trying to think. 

"Sorry Carrots, just thinking aloud, some things are more obvious that way," Nick stepped carefully back to the side of the bed and picked up the empty pill bottle.  
"Foxapro, contents 30, one a day, she got this two days before going savage, if she'd been taking them on schedule at hospital, there should still be around ten or so tablets left?"  
"Well I just figured she took them all the first time she tried to commit suicide," commented Judy.  
Nick continued," On the face of it, that's what we are all thinking, but if that's the case, why didn't the twenty eight she took then, not kill her, but the thirty she took last night did, and the other brash thought is, 30 kills you, 28 turns you savage?!, just can't work that way." 

In the silence that followed, Judy's phone rang. looking at the screen, she smiled and swiped the button.  
"Hi Benji, what's up?…yeah he's with me…he's OK," judy turned to look at Nick, "why, what's the matter?", Judy was quiet for a minute before her eyes went wide and, "OH!" Judy let out a gasp and put her other paw to her mouth, "anybody else?"  
Nick started to come around the bed, but saw Judy flinch back as he approached, and he stopped dead in his tracks. 

"So do you need us back there?" continued Judy, still looking at Nick, "Well no, after that we probably only need another half hour or so…yeah, I'll ask him, OK…Yes Ben, I'll be careful, OK we'll see you back there, are you OK?…alright well we'll be back soon, bye Benji."  
Judy hung up and stared at Nick, "so are you feeling OK Nick?"  
Nick cocked his head a little, saying, "well, nothing my morning coffee wouldn't fix carrots, why, what's going on?"  
Judy looked at Nick apprehensively, "Wolford went savage!"  
"OH CRAP!" burst Nick, stepping towards Judy, but freezing when he notices her paw go for her taser pocket, her eyes growing wide.  
"Ah Judy, what's happening?" asked Nick slowly, watching her paw while he stood in mid step.  
Her voice nervous, she asks, "Nick, are you on any form of medication?"  
Nick answered slowly and clearly, "No Judy, I'm fine, what is happening?" he asked while stepping back from Judy. Judy eyed Nick for a few more seconds and became conscious of her paw hovering over her taser. 

Slowly putting her paw back on her knee, she reached for the empty pill bottle with her other paw.  
"It's this Nick!" she said, holding up the bottle.  
"Clawhauser said they just got a report back from the labs, it appears there was a fault at the PredPharm plant, and a batch of about a thousand bottles were contaminated with an increased amount of active ingredient."  
Nick could sense there was more to come and cocked his head a little saying, "and?"  
"it's Midnicampum Holicithias Nick, Nighthowler extract, used as part of the stimulant, Clawhauser said their mix went from something like two point five percent, to twenty-five percent."  
Nick could only look on in disbelief and go "Wow!"  
Judy continued, "they did an immediate recall, but they think there may be up to fifty bottles still out there, they're following through with all the pharmacies to contact all the customers that got prescriptions."  
Nick appeared to relax a little, "So there's hope yet?" 

Judy's ears had gone 'full droop' when she continued, "Nick, about twenty of the bottles were sold from a little chemist here on Pack Street."  
Nick eyed the door to the apartment, "So what about Wolford?"  
"Oh," replied Judy, " Chief and Grizzoli managed to hold him down while Fangmeyer Darted him, he's over at ZCH now."  
"You know what," started Nick, "I think we can wind this one up, and I could do with that coffee,"  
Judy gazed around the apartment, looked at the assorted detritus on the bed, finally looking back to Nick.  
"You're right Nick, I'm done here, I'd like to go home, but I'll settle for back to the station." 

Judy stood up from the bed and took a step towards Nick, "Nick, I think I need a hug again."  
The fox's eyes made a quick scan of various points of escape, before holding his arms wide,  
"You're not going to taze me or anything are you?" Nick asked.  
Judy took two quick steps and had her arms around Nick before he could move.  
"Dumb fox," she sniffed into his chest.  
"Scary Bunny," replied Nick, cautiously wrapping his arms around her. After a minute he said, "OK, well maybe we should just check everyone here, see how many others may be on the medication, and then we can go."  
Judy withdrew and wiped her face with the back of her paw, "sounds good to me," she sniffed. 

Nick picked up the empty pill bottle and headed for the door, Judy just stood and looked at the mess around her.  
Nick padded down the hall, and knocked on the next door, which opened presently to reveal an Aardwolf standing there.  
Nick started, "Hi,…" "I'm Wolter," replied the mammal. "Wolter, of course," continued Nick, "Just as part of our investigation, I'd like to ask you, and your sister about any medications you guys may be on?"  
"Oh, you mean the PredPharm stuff?"  
Nicks eyebrows arched.  
"Yeah, it's all over the news," continued Wolter, "Annie and I aren't on any of those things, so we're cool," he stopped in thought for a second, "You might need to check with Ozzy though, he's a little messed up, I mean he's cool and all, but yeah, might wanna talk to him, or Miss V if she's here…"  
"So, many others here?" asked Nick, gesturing towards the building.  
"Well, there's Avo just down the hall there," replied Wolter, pointing further along the corridor.  
"But I haven't seen her for a few days…" the aardwolf seemed in thought and turned back into the apartment.  
"Hey Annie, have you seen Avo?" he yelled.  
"No," came the reply. Wolter shrugged his shoulders, "OK," he said, more to himself, then, "and there's Woolly across from Marty's…" the Aardwolf paused in thought again, "um, yeah," he sighed.  
"Yeah, Woolly, well Remmy actually, and he's a sheep, so he'd be OK wouldn't he?" Wolter said, looking back across to Nick.  
"Does he ever seem depressed?" asked Nick.  
The Aardwolf giggled a bit, "He's pretty uptight, but I don't think he's depressed?"  
Nick closed his notepad, "OK, thanks for that, you guys look after yourselves," He turned to head back to Judy. 

Rounding the corner from the stairs was a sheep with a shopping bag.  
They both paused momentarily, then continued to converge in the hallway.  
"Hi there," said Nick, seeing the sheep force a smile.  
Remmy stopped at his door, fumbling for keys, "Good morning sir," Remmy responded.  
Nick turned to look behind him, then back to the sheep, "Oh, you mean me?" flushed Nick, but then noticed his calming gag had gone right over the Sheep's head.  
"OK, Officer Wilde, ZPD, we're just checking on people in the building regarding the recent incidents, and wondering if you are aware of the Pharmaceutical recall in place?"  
Remmy looked at Nick and asked, "Those were pills for Predators weren't they?"  
Nick fingered his chin,"I guess that's a good point," he answered, "So you've heard then?"  
"Yes," said Remmy, "I just saw it on a television, down at the supermarket," looking at his shopping bag, and his now open front door. 

Nick noticed the look, "Oh, be my guest," he said waving towards the door. Remmy trotted through the door to his kitchen bench, dug in the bag and fished out a small square package, which he placed in his refrigerator. The sheep returned to his front door as Nick spotted Al and a neatly dressed deer doe top the stairs.  
"OK," said Nick, "so you're not currently using any PredPharm products then?"  
"No," replied the Sheep.  
"Did you know the former residents of the adjoining apartment?"  
"Yes," answered the Sheep, as Al and Velvet stopped in the hallway.  
Judy appeared in the doorway to Charlie and Marty's apartment.  
"Are you aware of any next of kin for either of the deceased?" Nick noticed Al shaking his head.  
Remmy began, "Charlie was a bit of a loner, I don't think anyone really knew much about her," he stated as Betty also topped the stairs with mop and bucket.  
The Sheep continued, "I guess Marty's next of kin is his sister, you should talk to her," 

Nick's eyes went wide as he looked up and saw Al do the same thing. V turned her head and buried it in Al's chest, her body wracking.  
Nick turned to Judy as she went "Huh?"  
The sound of a coughing fit emanated from behind Al. Nick turned back to Remmy, seeing the confusion in his eyes.  
"I'm sorry ah, Remmy isn't it, but I don't think we'll see Marty's sister again…"  
"What?" asked Judy as she stepped up beside Nick.  
Remmy stiffened, "What, did…" his voice wavered, "Did she kill BOTH of them?!" a look of horror spreading across the Sheep's muzzle.  
Nick started, "Well, not so much killed…" but Al broke in simply saying, "Yep!" as V punched him in the arm.  
"Who?" interjected Judy with a confused look.

Remmy collapsed onto all fours in his doorway, "Noooo!" he bleated, pounding his hoof on the floor. Other floor pounding emanated from behind Al.  
Judy looked at Nick and began; "Nick, what's…" but Nick cut her off with a raised paw before looking over to Al.  
"Not funny Al," but winked at the large white wolf.  
He turned back to Judy's confused face, "I think our job here is done Carrots!"  
But if Judy said anything, it was drowned out by the shrieks of laughter coming from the black wolf on the floor behind Al, mixed with the bleating wails of the sheep on the floor in front of them.  
Nick looked over his shoulder and saw the two Aardwolf heads sticking through their door, rows of teeth showing as they grinned.  
Nick looked back to Judy and her wide, blank expression,  
"I'll explain in a minute," he turned and reached out a paw to comfort the Sheep. 

Al wiped tears away from his face and said, "don't worry fox, we'll tell him," sniggering a few more times.  
"Well, yes, I really think you should," chided Nick, touching the side of his nose, then turning to Velvet.  
"Miss Roe is it?" confirmed Nick, "you may have another patient," he said eyeing the Sheep.  
"Oh dear," she responded, breaking into more giggles at her own 'in' joke.  
"I'm sorry, this is terribly unprofessional of me," she giggled again.  
"I'll make sure Al sorts this out," more snickering, "I probably should have stopped this a few weeks ago…" 

Nick turned to take Judy's paw, then looked back to V, "and what about this, Ozzy, and the pharmacy thing?"  
Velvet looked at Nick for a few seconds, then said, "OK, well I guess you are the Police so, he should be all right, we've actually got him on suppressants, so no real problem."  
Pulling herself together, she stepped away form Al and knelt down along side the Sheep.  
"Remmy, we need to talk…" she began.

Nick turned back to Judy, "come on Hopps, it's time for us to go," he turned back to Al, and with a wave of his other paw to encompass the gathered, Nick flurried, "and to all you gentle mammals, we bid you, adieu…" as he led Judy down the hallway.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an updated end note for the latest rewrite (20Aug2017)
> 
> For those of you that read the original form of this story, I'm sorry.  
> I was working under somewhat of an emotional stress, and it showed.  
> Now, so many months later, I've (hopefully) made it more readable, and sorted a few little plot inconsistencies.
> 
> I had been working on a different story when Weaver brought out the initial version of Savages.  
> The angst it caused (to me at least) just left me messed up, until I could come up with some form of closure.  
> It was probably some TV show that inspired me to 'put all the pieces together'.  
> It took me about a week to write and then another week to make it readable, most of that time spent staring at the screen till all hours of the morning, trying to join bits together.  
> A 'plea' to all the chemists and hypochondriacs out there, please don't pick on my lack of pharmaceutical knowledge, I'm just a retired tradesman.
> 
> For those sadists out there that would like to hear me suffer, you can listen to me try to read this, plus an interview on soundcloud dot com slash comicanon, the click on greentext theatre for 8-6-2017.


End file.
